When yoga becomes part of your lifestyle rather than an exercise system, you begin to change other aspects of your life to fit with the new you. The physical asansas (or poses) are only part of yoga. The practice of the asanas brings calmness to the mind and creates space for you to think about the focus of your life. I am often asked if diet is important and the answer is yes, of course it is important! If you are taking so much care of your body and mind by practising yoga then you must look after the health of your body by means of diet.
When Heidi arrived in the Summer of 2005, I had no idea what my body would look like or if I would ever get my figure back. One thing I could say is that after giving birth I didn’t even want to look at my midriff! However, I was amazed as the weight started to come off and my shape began to reappear after just a few weeks. I was nursing Heidi and eating a lot, I took fruit and crackers to bed with me for a snack when i woke for her early morning feed and was eating everything I liked and more! I know this is not the same for everyone and it was not true with Miller but I was enjoying being a new mum and looking pretty good for it. I began my yoga practice as soon as my body was in the condition too and had just about got back to my preferred shape about 6 months later. It is worth remembering that it takes the body 9 months to put everything back in place after everything being pushed out the way to make room for your big lump!
Great, my figure back in no time at all. So what do I do? Yes, I fall pregnant again! A second bundle on the way after being told it was unlikely I’d ever have children in the first place. Just 10 months after Heidi, I was carrying Miller. When he arrived I thought nothing of eating lots of lovely things, however this time my body was not so forgiving. Even with toning exercises and gentle yoga, my tum was happy sticking around. Fortunately, I had a change of lifestyle when Miller was around 4 months old. Already a vegetarian, along with the family, I came across some information that made me change to a vegan diet. Ethically and for health benefits we made the change and wow, what an unexpected side effect. I dropped down 2 dress sizes in a month. Worried about still nursing I was trying to eat well and was enjoying food more than ever. It seems cutting out dairy just made my body drop all it’s excess. Feeling great I began teaching yoga again. Whereas a few weeks before I was nervous (who wants to see an out of shape yoga teacher), now I felt great and ready to go.
I believe to get back in shape after childbirth, unless you are incredibly lucky, you need to find a combination of gentle exercise and good nutrition. You should not really think about dieting early on, especially if you are nursing but be sensible with your choices.
